Automatic conveyer for veneer sheets



May 23, 1967 YASUO IMAZU 3,321,055

AUTOMATIC CONVEYER FOR VENEER SHEETS Filed Sept. 27, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.2

I NVE N TOR. )Qzs'uo Zv/Azu flrrae/vm y 3, 1967 YASUO IMAZU 3,321,065

AUTOMATIC CONVEYER FOR VENEER SHEETS Filed Sept. 27, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. V4500 IMAZU 7% rro/e/vzr FIG.4

United States Patent l 3,321,065 AUTOMATIC CONVEYER FOR VENEER SHEETS Yasuo Imazu, Osaka-shi, Japan, assignor to Eidai Sangyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Osaka, Japan Filed Sept. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 490,258 2 Claims. (Cl. 198-50) This invention relates to a means of conveying rolls of veneer strips from adjacent the cutting lathe to adjacent the drying compartment, whereby successive rolls of veneer sheets may be automatically and intermittently moved from one position to another.

An object of my invention is to provide a novel automatic conveyer for veneer sheets, whereby the rolls of sheet veneer are permitted to move by gravity from one point to another.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an automatic conveyer for veneer sheets of the character stated, in which the successive rolls of veneer sheets are retained at various points along the inclined rail upon which they are mounted until the drying step has been completed.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a novel stop means for the various rolls of veneer sheets, which stops are power controlled and are releasable as required.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may appear fromthe accompanying drawings, the subjoined detailed description and the appended claims.

In the drawing FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic side view of an automatic conveyer for veneer sheets embodying my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the stop means for a roll of veneer.

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic side view of a modified form of automatic conveyer.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 7--7 of FIGURE 6.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the nu meral 1 indicates a log which is rotatably mounted in the usual veneer lathe (not shown) to cut a thin strip of wood 2 which is termed a veneer sheet. The strip or sheet of veneer is cut by means of a long knife 3 which engages the periphery of the log 1, all of which is usual and well known in the art. The sheet or strip of veneer 2 is first rolled onto a spool 4 as it is cut from the log 1. The time required to cut the strip of veneer from the log 1 and roll it upon the spool 4 is somewhat shorter than the time required to unroll the strip from a spool and move it through a dryer, as will be subsequently described. Consequently, the veneer rolls 5 on successive spools 4 must be restrained so that they will not crowd upon the unrolling spool 6, the strip 7 of which is being fed into the dryer 8 by means of the power driven rollers 9.

The various spools 4 are provided with a horizontal shaft 10 which projects from both ends of the spool, and these shafts will rest upon a bottom rail 11 which is a part of the main rectangular frame 12. The bottom rail 11 is inclined or sloped from left to right, as viewed in FIGURE 1; that is, it slopes from the first of the series of spools 5 towards the unrolling spool 6. Thus gravity will tend to roll the successive spools 4 from left to right. To restrain the free rolling of the spools 4, I provide a plurality of stop means 13 which are positioned adjacent to the bottom rail 11. The stop means 13 includes a pair 3,321,065 Patented May 23, 1967 of racks 14-15, both of which engage a driving pinion 16. An actuating arm 17 is affixed to the pinion 16 and partially rotates the pinion to move the racks 14 and 15 upwardly and downwardly with relation to the shafts 10. The arm 17 is swung back and forth in an are by means of a pneumatic cylinder 18, which includes a piston 19. A piston rod 20 extends from the piston 19 to the arm 17, thus swinging the arm back and forth as required. In the position shown in FIGURE 3 the stop rack 15 is engaging the shaft 10 to prevent the veneer rolls 5 from rolling along the rail 11 under the force of gravity. To release the rolls 5 the rack 15 is lowered, which simultaneously raises the rack 14. Thus the rolls 5 can progress along the rail 11 until they again engage one of the stops 13, and the endmost roll 5 then proceeds to the position of the roll 6, shown in FIGURE 1. In this position the strip of veneer is placed between the power rollers 9 and is moved into the dryer 8. After progressing through the dryer the usual trimming knives 21 are employed to trim the sheet of veneer, so that it: can be moved on the conveyer 22 to a storage bin or the like.

After the strip of veneer has been unrolled from the endmost spool 23, this spool is released from the end strip mechanism 24, which has the same construction as the stop means previously described. The end spool 23 now drops into a trough 25 and is picked up by the elevator 26. The elevator is continuously driven by suitable power means (not shown), and the fingers 27 of the elevator will move the spools 23 upwardly to a top rail 28. The top rail 28 is inclined from right to left and, consequently, the spools 23 will accumulate at the righthand end of the rail 28, as shown in FIGURE 1. A latch 29, at the end of the rail 28, permits the spools 23 to be released and dropped downwardly one at a time, to a position where the incoming strip 2 of veneer can be rolled upon them.

In the modified form of conveyer for veneer sheets shown in FIGURES 4 to 7 inclusive, I have provided a means whereby a second spool is positioned adjacent to a first spool which is being unwound and the veneer moved into a dryer; the second spool being unwound while the shaft of the first unwound spool is transferred to a return rail to the point of beginning in the conveyer sequence. The veneer sheets 2 are wound into spools 5, as previously described. These spools each include a horizontal shaft 10, as previously described. The veneer strips 2 are fed into the dryer 8 from a belt 30, and this continuously driven belt is positioned below the spool 5, as shown in FIGURE 4. The spools 5 are positioned during one portion of the conveyer sequence on an inclined bottom rail 31, which is a part of the rectangular frame 32. The frame 32 is substantially identical as the frame 12 previously described. The bottom rail 31 is sloped downwardly from left to right so that the shafts 10 will roll towards the right by gravity. Spaced stop means 13 are provided on the rail 31 and the purpose and construction of these stop means has been previously described. When the endmost spool 33 has been unreeled, the shaft 10 thereof is permitted to move into the trough 34, from which the conveyer 35 engages it and moves the shaft upwardly onto the top return rail 36. The shaft then moves towards the left by gravity, to, a point where the shafts can be returned to the original loading position, as previously described.

While this unloading or unreeling operation has been progressing from the spool 33, a second spool 37 has been restrained in a position shown in FIGURE 4, so thatthe veneer sheet thereon can be moved onto the conveyor belt 30 to unreel the spool 37 while the shaft of the spool 33 is being returned to the rail 36, and while a third spool 38 is being positioned at the end of the rail 31 so that it in turn can be unreeled. A second conveyer 39 extends between the rails 31 and 36 for the purpose of returning the shaft of the spool 37 to its elevated position on the rail 36. The elevators 35 and 39 can be manually controlled so that the two elevators will not conflict and will move the proper shaft 10 at the proper time. The conveyor 39 is so constructed that the shaft 40 can pass through it in certain positions of the elevator, that is, this elevator will not interfere with the movement of the shafts 10. However, it is provided with shaft engaging cups 40 thereon which will engage the ends of the shafts 10 when the elevator is continuously rotated.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A conveyer for veneer sheets comprising, a frame includingan inclined rail sloping continuously from one end to the other, a plurality of stop means spaced throughout the length of said rail, a spool on which the veneer is wound, said spool being slidably mounted on said rail to move by gravity from one end of the rail to the other, said spool being engageable with the stop means to interrupt the movement of said spool along the rail, 8. second rail on the frame inclined in the opposite direction to the first named rail, a vertically extending elevator positioned between one end of the first named rail and one end of the second rail, to elevate the spool from the first named rail to the second rail, and a second vertically extending elevator positioned adjacent the first named elevator, said second elevator selectively elevating the spools from the first named rail to the second rail, and a belt conveyer positioned below the first and second elevators to receive veneer sheets thereon from spools positioned on the first named rail.

2. A conveyer for veneer sheets comprising, a frame including an inclined rail sloping continuously from one end to the other, a plurality of stop means spaced throughout the length of said rail, a spool on which the veneer is wound, said spool being slidably mounted on said rail to move by gravity from one end of the rail to the other, said spool being engageable with the stop means to interrupt the movement of said spool along the rail, a second rail on the frame inclined in the opposite direction to the first named rail, a vertically extending elevator positioned between one end of the first named rail and one end of the second rail, to elevate the spool from the first named rail to the second rail, and a second vertically extending elevator positioned adjacent the first named elevator, said second elevator selectively elevating the spools from the first named rail to the second rail, and a belt conveyer positioned below the first and second elevators to receive veneer sheets thereon from spools positioned on the first named rail, and a latch means engaging the spool at the lowermost endof the second rail.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,644,564 7/1953 Bassoff 193--40 2,668,714 2/1954 Huck l9340 2,992,825 7/1961 Wolverton 193-40 3,088,569 5/ 1963 M-cClelland 221-289 FOREIGN PATENTS 859,223 12/ 1952 Germany.

EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD E. AEGERTER, Examiner. 

1. A CONVEYOR FOR VENEER SHEETS COMPRISING, A FRAME INCLUDING AN INCLINED RAIL SLOPING CONTINUOUSLY FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER, A PLURALITY OF STOP MEANS SPACED THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF SAID RAIL, A SPOOL ON WHICH THE VENEER IS WOUND, SAID SPOOL BEING SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID RAIL TO MOVE BY GRAVITY FROM ONE END OF THE RAIL TO THE OTHER, SAID SPOOL BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH THE STOP MEANS TO INTERRUPT THE MOVEMENT OF SAID SPOOL ALONG THE RAIL, A SECOND RAIL ON THE FRAME INCLINED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO THE FIRST NAMED RAIL, A VERTICALLY EXTENDING ELEVATOR POSITIONED BETWEEN ONE END OF THE FIRST NAMED RAIL AND ONE END OF THE SECOND RAIL, TO ELEVATE THE SPOOL FROM THE FIRST NAMED RAIL TO THE SECOND RAIL, AND A SECOND VERTICALLY EXTENDING ELEVATOR POSITIONED ADJACENT THE FIRST NAMED ELEVATOR, SAID SECOND ELEVATOR SELECTIVELY ELEVATING THE SPOOLS FROM THE FIRST NAMED RAIL TO THE SECOND RAIL, AND A BELT CONVEYER POSITIONED BELOW THE FIRST AND SECOND ELEVATORS TO RECEIVE VENEER SHEETS THEREON FROM SPOOLS POSITIONED ON THE FIRST NAMED RAIL. 